Countdown 2010 Natural England’s Biodiversity Action Fund _ Year Two www.naturalengland.org.uk Project achievements in 2006/2007 b Protecting the best sites; an extra 16 sites in b Action for threatened species; 1,029 male black Cumbria and 17 sites in Staffordshire have been grouse in northern England were counted identified and designated as County Wildlife sites. attending leks in 2006, exceeding the UK BAP target In Oxfordshire, 14 target areas have been identified for this species. More than 20 re-introduced cirl as priority areas for conservation work through buntings have survived over winter in Cornwall and stewardship options, and over 600 ha of priority 8 pairs have so far bred, with the first chicks habitat in the Mendip Hills has been given spotted in June 2007. In Devon, 4 rare fanshells restoration advice. In Cumbria, 6 important have been found in the Salcombe Estuary and breeding sites for natterjack toads have been awareness of their presence has been raised among improved along their current coastal stronghold. the local boat owning community. b Action for threatened habitats; 100 ha of heathland, 450 ha of grassland, 125 km of hedgerow and 500 ha of woodland have been restored, recreated or brought into favourable management by Countdown 2010 projects across England. Restoration plans have been produced for 5 important mossland sites in Lancashire and 12 ponds in the Stroud valley have been restored. 1 b Engaging people; volunteers are extremely b Influencing policy and decision making; several valuable to most of our projects. They have given Countdown 2010 projects have been working hard over 80,000 days of their time during the first year to influence the forthcoming Marine Bill through of the scheme to undertake surveys, check representation at Government meetings. The livestock, learn new skills and work on the ground importance of brownfield sites for priority to maintain important areas for biodiversity. Over invertebrate species has been brought to the 100 schools have taken part in a range of attention of planning departments in the Thames environmental activities including roadshows, gateway and across the Midlands highlighting how preparing biodiversity action plans, habitat conservationists can work with developers to creation and practical events. protect these valuable sites. Also, an ecological network approach is being developed with several b Developing the evidence base; 2,200 basking shark local authorities in Suffolk and Sussex to influence sightings were recorded in 2006, doubling the county and district strategies. number recorded in 2005, with ‘hot spots’ in the South West, the Isle of Man and Scotland. The third Great Stag Hunt recorded 4,500 stag beetle sightings. All 34 Countdown 2010 projects are now reporting on BARS (Biodiversity Action Reporting System). 2 Engaging people Promoting biodiversity action in Sussex One of the outcomes of this project run by the t s u Sussex Wildlife Trust is to enhance biodiversity r T e f i in school grounds. The project has employed a l d l project officer to undertake this task in the Brighton i W x and Hove area, where school grounds cover 161 e s s u square hectares – 15% of the city’s green space. S As part of this project, a Biodiversity Action Plan The project has also been promoting education and (BAP) manifesto for schools has been drawn up. The public understanding by running a range of wildlife manifesto includes identifying a teacher responsible courses. These include learning surveying techniques, for conservation, preparing a school BAP, ensuring nature photography, woodland skills and children are actively involved, and managing a introductions to a variety of species and habitats. wildlife area within the school grounds. The courses have been well received and have been taken up by a wide cross-section of the community. So far, 15 schools have signed up to the manifesto. The project officer has helped in the setting up of environmental clubs at several of these schools, as well as making preparations for major habitat projects such as planting orchards and creating ponds. 3 Environments for All The Environments for All programme was set up by the BTCV to generate large-scale public involvement in biodiversity conservation by working in partnership with organisations that own and manage land. Through the programme, the BTCV aims to engage with disadvantaged and marginalised communities, as well as introducing young people to conservation. As part of this programme, the Spring into Action V C T campaign was run in May 2006 involving more than B 13,000 people in over 700 volunteering events across the UK. This event was repeated in May 2007 with volunteers. Volunteer survey information collected even greater success, providing hands-on at these events suggests that 17% of volunteers opportunities for people to get involved in looking involved with the programme are from ethnic and after their local wildlife and greenspaces. minority communities. Statistics also show that the programme is helping to bring young Conservation volunteering and community people into contact with the natural environmental projects were run on over 1,800 sites environment, 23% of the volunteers in the first project year, engaging more than 35,500 being under the age of 25. 4 Severn Vale Biodiversity Partnership The Stroud Valleys Project is engaging with local communities within the Severn Vale area of Gloucestershire through a range of events and t c e j habitat workshops. In the first year of the project o r P s over 600 volunteers took part in activities such as y e l l making access improvements to walking trails, a V d hedge laying, building bird boxes and undertaking u o r t land use surveys. S The project is working with five primary schools in Students with special needs and learning difficulties the area creating practical educational workshops have undertaken nine half-day habitat workshops linked to the National Curriculum. One school runs including bird box making, hedge planting and a programme of environmental activities for its habitat management tasks. The project is also children during ‘Golden Time’, their weekly half-hour engaging people with mental health problems and reward time. The number of children choosing these local disabled residents to increase their activities has risen and they are showing genuine opportunities to access the countryside. enthusiasm for the natural environment. 5 Protecting species Cirl bunting re-introduction The cirl bunting is a small farmland bird whose population in the UK plummeted during the 1980s due to agricultural intensification. With the help of Devon farmers, a species recovery programme successfully increased the remaining population in South Devon. The RSPB, in partnership with Paignton Zoo, Natural England and the National Trust, are now B P S working to increase the range of this species. R During the summer of 2006, 72 cirl bunting chicks A number of fledged young have been seen and it is were successfully hand-reared to release stage. The hoped some of these birds will go on to breed next chicks were collected under licence from agreed year, along with the newly released birds taken from donor sites in Devon for rearing and release in Devon this year. Cornwall. The birds were ringed and monitored by the RSPB and volunteers over the winter. More than Over 20 landowners and farmers have engaged with the 20 birds survived the winter and in June a pair of cirl project so far, and more than 10 ha of wild bird seed buntings were seen nesting in a farmer’s back garden, mixes/spring barley have been secured for 2007. the first confirmed breeding in Cornwall for more The wild bird seed mixes of quinoa and millet, than 10 years. Despite the awful weather, there were along with weedy spring barley stubbles, at least 11 breeding attempts from 7 pairs in 2007. will be an essential food source for the birds during the winter. 6 Conserving butterflies and moths at a landscape level n o i t This project run by Butterfly Conservation is a v r e concerned with 30 priority landscape areas across s n o the Midlands and the East of England, in nine of C y l f r these areas there is a particular focus on e t t u safeguarding important brownfield habitats. B Threatened butterflies and moths have adapted to live on brownfield sites due to the variety of habitats Butterfly Conservation is also working in partnership that are found there. Nectar-rich flowers, tall and with a large development company in Stoke-on-Trent. short vegetation, plus areas of bare ground all Business parks being developed next to green railway combine to form the mosaic landscapes that these corridors will include a buffer strip between the species need. offices and the railway line to extend these important habitats. The land will be left to regenerate naturally A former colliery site in Nottinghamshire is being without the addition of any top-soil. restored to limestone meadow with features that will favour the dingy skipper butterfly pictured. A south- The project also focuses on areas that support a facing bank of maerl and crushed limestone has been number of UK Biodiversity Action Plan species sown with bird’s-foot-trefoil and a scattered hawthorn and where biodiversity is generally high, hedge will be planted to provide shelter. for example the Malvern Hills and the Wyre Forest. 7 Bringing back the natterjack Natterjack toads have suffered massive declines in recent decades and just 47 populations now remain in England. Of these, 23 occur along the Cumbrian coast in increasingly isolated pockets. r The Herpetological Conservation Trust has e t s o employed a project officer to develop a strategy for F m i natterjacks to safeguard this species in Cumbria.